Results 1,161-1,180 of 20,818 for speaker:Norma Foley

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (28 May 2025)

Norma Foley: Up to now, services availing of Core Funding have not been allowed to raise their fees above what was charged to parents on 30 September 2021 (or at the point of first signing up for Core Funding if the service did not exist on 30 September 2021). In August 2024 the Fee Increase Assessment process opened, whereby Core Funding Partner Services who were charging fees below the county average...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (28 May 2025)

Norma Foley: Improving access to quality and affordable Early Learning and Care and School Age Childcare is a key priority of Government. Early learning and childcare capacity is increasing. Data from the Annual Early Years Sector Profile 2023/24 shows that the estimated number of enrolments increased by approximately 19% from the 2021/22 programme year. Core Funding application data shows that between...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Contracts (28 May 2025)

Norma Foley: A review and redesign of the Early Learning Care and School Age Childcare (ELC/SAC) operating model was committed to in First 5, the Whole of Government Strategy for Babies, Young Children and their Families (2019-2028). The review ultimately concluded that a dedicated statutory agency (under the remit of the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality) would be the optimal operating model...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Traveller Community (28 May 2025)

Norma Foley: Funding for Traveller and Roma communities is provided across a range of Government Departments and State Agencies to address their specific needs, and to advance the objectives of the National Traveller and Roma Inclusion Strategy II 2024 - 2028, according to the individual responsibilities of each Department and Agency. My Department supports Traveller and Roma local and national...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (28 May 2025)

Norma Foley: Naíonra is not a term currently used as part of data collection within the early learning and childcare sector. Instead, data is collected under the following categories in the Annual Early Years Sector Profile (AEYSP): Wholly Irish-medium; Mixed (part Irish-medium); English-medium with some use of Irish and Wholly English-medium. The table below is the most recent data the Department...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (28 May 2025)

Norma Foley: The Deputy has requested the first and full year cost of funding a year of preschool at an Irish-medium naíonra for every pre-school-aged child living in the Gaeltacht currently availing of a pre-school service funded under the ECCE Programme year. Data from Census 2022 indicates that there were 2,342 children aged 3-4 living in a Gaeltacht area. For simplicity it is assumed that...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Traveller Community (28 May 2025)

Norma Foley: As the Deputy will be aware, the National Traveller and Roma Inclusion Strategy II 2024 - 2027 (NTRIS II) represents a whole of Government approach to bring about meaningful change and progress for the Traveller and Roma communities in Ireland. It brings Government Departments and Agencies together along with representatives of Traveller and Roma communities to focus on issues, which affect...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (28 May 2025)

Norma Foley: Improving access to quality and affordable early learning and childcare is a key priority of Government. Early learning and childcare capacity is increasing. Data from the Annual Early Years Sector Profile 2023/24 shows that the estimated number of enrolments increased by approximately 19% from the 2021/22 programme year. Core Funding application data shows that between Year 1 and Year 3...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Policies (27 May 2025)

Norma Foley: The death of a child in care or known to state services, whether at home, in care, or aftercare, is a tragic event that deeply affects family, friends, carers/staff connected to the child and local communities. In circumstances where families are affected by the unexpected death of a child known to or in the care of Tusla, such cases are notified to the National Review Panel (NRP). The...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Mother and Baby Homes (27 May 2025)

Norma Foley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 524 and 548 together. The Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme acknowledges circumstances experienced while resident in a Mother and Baby Institution and the associated conditions, shame and stigma endured over a period of time. Using time spent as the deciding factor, is intended to support a non-adversarial approach which avoids the need for...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (27 May 2025)

Norma Foley: Improving access to quality and affordable early learning and childcare is a key priority of Government. Capital funding has been allocated to the early learning and childcare sector under the revised National Development Plan (NDP). This will enable significant investment in early learning and childcare. The Building Blocks Capacity Grant schemes are operating over 2024 and 2025....

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Mental Health Services (27 May 2025)

Norma Foley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 528 and 530 together. My Department is committed to engaging with the Department of Health on any issue which may impact on the welfare of vulnerable children. The Children and Young People’s Policy Forum is a cross-government mechanism for communication between senior officials and agency representatives for communication between senior...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Child and Family Agency (27 May 2025)

Norma Foley: Tusla has informed my Department that its Separated Children Seeking International Protection (SCSIP) Service is currently providing accommodation under a Special Emergency Arrangement (SEA) to children in this location. Tusla has further advised that a member of its staff met with residents at this location on the 2nd May 2025. The member of staff answered queries on the purpose and use of...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Public Procurement Contracts (27 May 2025)

Norma Foley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 536 and 537 together. My Department has robust procedures in place to ensure the effective operation of procurement activity carried out and its compliance with national and EU and national regulations in the area. Our procurement activity is subject to audit both internally and by the Comptroller and Auditor General. My Department also prepares an...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Public Procurement Contracts (27 May 2025)

Norma Foley: All contracts drawn down from Frameworks by my Department from 1 January 2022 to 31 December 2024 were accompanied by the publication of a Contract Award Notice via the eTenders portal. Bodies under the aegis of my Department will respond directly to the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (27 May 2025)

Norma Foley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 539 and 540 together. Partnership for the Public Good outlined 25 recommendations for a new funding model for Early Learning and Care and School Aged Childcare services. Recommendation 3E sets out that providers who sign up to Core Funding should be required to “provide transparent financial reports and participate as required in cost surveys and...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (27 May 2025)

Norma Foley: Core Funding was introduced in September 2022 with a full year allocation of €259 million, of which €210.8 million was brand new funding to the sector. This funding was distributed primarily based on a services capacity through the Base Rate, with additional funding available to support graduate-led provision through the Graduate Premiums. An additional €28 million...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (27 May 2025)

Norma Foley: In 2018, Crowe was commissioned by the then Department of Children and Youth Affairs to undertake an independent review on the cost of providing quality early learning and childcare (ELC) in Ireland. The brief for the Review included:analysing the current costs of providing ELC and the factors that impact on these costs;the development and delivery of a model of the unit costs of providing...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (27 May 2025)

Norma Foley: Government is committed to ensure high quality early learning and childcare is accessible and affordable as demonstrated by unprecedented increases in State investment in recent years. The Budget allocation in the childcare sector in Ireland for 2024 and 2025 is set out below: 2024 2025 €m €m ...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (27 May 2025)

Norma Foley: When introduced in September 2022, Core Funding subsumed the funding and purpose of ECCE Higher Capitation and replaced this support for graduate leaders with Graduate Premiums. There are two such Graduate Premiums under Core Funding. The Graduate Lead Educator Premium supports graduate-led provision in Early Learning and Care sessions. The allocation for a Partner Service is calculated...